Means for sealing shipping packages



1,652,813 s. c. CARY MEANS FOR SEALING SHIPPING PACKAGES Original FiledMay 15, 1919 Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

srnnc'nn o. CARY, or NEW YORK, N, Y., ASSIGNOR TO CARY MANUFACTURING(10., or

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR SEALING SHIPPING PACKAGES.

Application filed May 1919, Serial No. 297,343. Renewed June 18,1923.

This invention pertains to means for sealing packages, and, moreparticularly, to a seal member adapted for deformation in such a way asto efi'ect an interlocking connection between the meeting end portionsof a binder under tension with reference to a shipping package.

In the inventions forming the subject matter of my prior Patent No.1,301,102, granted April 22, 1919, and of my prior application SerialNo; 267,937, filed Dec. 23, 1918, there are disclosed sealing memberswlierein'the lapping end portions of a binder are adapted by compressingcertain parts of the sealing member to effect the interlockingengagement of said binder end portions, such compression taking placeWithout cutting or shearing the binder and the whole operating toproduce a seal and coupling which lies close to or flat upon the packagein order that the packages may be stacked or piled to advantage.

The prior inventions utilize a sealing member composed of fiat metalslotted to produce one or more bridge members which, in the condition ofthe seal prior to its union with the binder, are struck up from theplane of the plate forming an element of said seal. The manufacture ofthe sealing member involves the displacement of the bridge memberrelatively to the plane of the plate, and this requires the use of metalpossessing a certain degree of ductility, as one result of which theseal does not successfully resist a high tensional strain on the binder.

According to the present invention the metal is displaced in both theseal plate and the bridge member, the effect of which is threefold; (a)there is no tendency to rupture or fracture the metal along the lines ofjuncture bet-ween the bridge member or members and the plate; (1)) it isfeasible to use harder and stronger metal in the production of the seal,thus affording a coupling which resists greattensional strains of thebinder, and (c) the area of the opening in the seal member is madesufiiciently large for the easy and free introduction of the endportions of the binder.

Other functions and advantagesof the invention will appear from thefollowing description, taken in connection with the drawings, whereinFig. 1 is a perspective view of the seal member detached from'a binder.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of said sealm'ember looking at one edge thereof.

Fig. 3 isa' plan view of the seal" member, showing the binder in dottedlines.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section prior to compression whereby the binderand the seal are interlocked.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the deformation of the seal andthe binder to effect interlocking of the parts.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the seal fiember with a plurality ofbridge memers.

The seal member A is composed, preferably, of strip steel which is cutand struck up by dies appropriate for .the purpose! It consists of aplate a and one or more bridge members 5, the salient feature being amutual deflection of the metal in the bridge memher and in the platerelatively one to" the other so as to produce an opening a, thearea ofwhich is suflioiently large to permit the free introduction of the twoend portions 6' f of a binder B. i

The seal member shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with a single bridgemember I) which spans a slot or recess d formed by the deflection of thebridge member relatively to the plane of the plate a, the end portions 6of said bridge member being inclined relatively to the plane ofsaidplate.

Experience shows that the deflectionof the bridge member witlrrespecttothe'plane of the plate and for an extent required to insure the freeintroduction of the two end portions e f of the binder, has a tenden'cto so strain or stretch the metalalong the lines of juncture of theinclined portions 6 with the plate a as to be likely to rupture orfracture the metal, or to at least so wea ken the metal along such linesof juncture that the seal when coupled with the'binder will not at alltimes resista high tension'al strain ex; erted on said binder, additiontb'which theremust be used metal having such ductil ity' or softness aswill permit the necessary deflection of the bridge member to'the extentrequired.

WVith a view to overcoming the'se objections, I deflect the sides a withrespect to the plane of the plate a, such deflection of the sides abeing equal substantially to the deflection of the bridge member Z) withreference to the plane of said plate, said deflected side portions abeing joined by inclined portions a with the plate.

This construction obviates undue strain or stretching of the metal alongthe lines at which the ends of the bridge member .7) join with the platea, for the reason that said bridge member is not required to bedeflect-. ed to an extent considered necessary hereto? fore for theproduction of the opening adapted for the reception of the binder.Furthermore, by mutually deflecting the sides a and the bridge member Z)relatively to the plane of the plate a the area of the opening 0 isincreased to an appreciable ex tent without in the least subjecting themetal to fracture or to undue stresses, whereby the opening is madesufliciently large to permit the easy introduction of the two endportions of the binder, see Fig. 4. Again, the new construction enablesme to use stronger and heavier sheet metal in the production of the sealmember, to the manifest stability of said seal in resisting thetensional strain of the binder.

The mode of using the seal member will be readily understood byreference to Figs. 4: and 5. The two end portions 8 fare insertedthrough the opening 0, i. e. in the space, intervening the-deflectedbridge I) and the deflected sides a, see Fig. 4, after which the seal issubjected to pressure, the effect of which is to mutually press thebridge 6 and the sides a toward or'into the plane of the plate a, orsubstantially so, whereby the overlapping end portions 6 f of the binderare shouldered as at 9, see Fig. 5, and thus the binder ends 6 f and theseal member are mutually interlocked. The seal practically occupies theplane of the binder, being free from many substantial projectingsurfaces or parts, whereby it is adapted to lie close to or in compactrelation with the package, so that the boxes or packages may be safelypiled or stacked one upon another. The seal operates to securely fastenor look together the two end portions so as to resist the tensionalstrain of said binder, and its material and structure are such that thebinder can be drawn or stretched very tightly around and in contactwiththe package without the seal giving way under the stresses exerted uponand by the binder.

By reference to Figs. 1. and 3, it will be noted that spaces h ofsubstantial width are provided between'the edges of the deflected bridgemember 7) and the inner edges of the deflected sides at. These spacesare produced by cutting slots in the metal of the blank during theprocess of manufacturing the seal member, and said slots areadvantageous for the reason that in compressing the seal member theshouldered portions 9 of the band ends are received partially withinsaid slots (see Fig. 5), whereby the operation of upsetting the seal andband does not bring the edges of the bridge 6 into shearing relation tothe inner edges of the sides a of the plate;

It is apparent that the seal may have more than one bridge member, andin Fig. 6 I have shown said seal sufiiciently large to contain two ofthe bridge members I), b, the marginal edges of which are spacedrelative 1y to the sides a, and an intermediate bar a of the plate bythe provision of slots as heretofore described. The sides a and bar aare with the bridges b b mutually deflected with reference to the planeof the plate a, as heretofore described, and thus an opening or space isprovided which is sufliciently large for the free introduction of theband end portions 6 f. The seal of Fig. 6 is used in the mannerheretofore described by compressing the seal and the band ends so as tointerlock the parts, the use of the two bridges and the bar a effectinga double interlocking connection between the seal and said end portionsof the band.

The binder shown in the drawings is a Hat band of the character usuallydesignated in the trade as box strapping, but it will be understood thatI may use wire or any other metal suitable for binding the boxes orother shipping packages.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is I 1. Means for binding and sealingpackages embodying a sealing member comprising a plate and one or morebridge members integral with the plate, the sides of the plate and thebridge 'member or members being deflected with respect to the plane ofthe plate in opposite directions to each other and to a substantiallyequal extent, and a hinder the end portions of which are inserted intothe seal member and the end portions of the binder being upset bypressure and mutually interlocked for resisting tensional strains on thebinder.

i 2. A sealing member for package binders comprising a plate with anintegral bridge member, the sides of the plate being deflected. in onedirection with respect to the plate, and the bridge member deflected inthe opposite direction to'a considerable extent, the ends of the bridgeportion being inclined relatively to the plane of the plate, and thedeflected side portions joined to the plate by inclined portions.

3. A sealing member for packages or package binders, comprising a plateand a bridge member, the material of the plate and bridge member beingdeflected relatively one to the other to provide an opening to permitthe free introduction of two end portions of a binder, and a binder theoverlapped ends planes to provide a clear space for the insertion of thebinder ends freel and unobstructedly, the width of each slbt exceedingthe thickness of the binder, whereby the bridge member and the plate areadapted to be compressed upon the binder ends without subjecting thebinder to a shearing action during such compression.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 20 signed my name.

SPENCER C. CARY.

